Birmingham City Council's services for schools are all about working to support pupils and improve their learning achievements. We aim to do this by making sure that children have as many opportunities as possible to discover and develop their talents and achieve their full potential while in school, so that they can prosper in the world of work. All our schools aim to provide children and young people with activities that make learning interesting and exciting. Birmingham City Council provides free schools for all children in the city. Nursery schools accept children aged 3 and 4, primary schools are for 4 to 11 year olds, and secondary schools for 11 to 18 year olds. Some of our schools give places to children who belong to a particular faith background as a priority before accepting other children. Some secondary schools only admit boys whilst others are for girls only. Our nursery, primary and most of our secondary schools will accept pupils of any ability but before being accepted for our secondary grammar schools young people have to pass an entrance test. Many schools provide breakfast clubs before school and a wide range of clubs and activities after school. The majority of mainstream state schools in Birmingham are Community or Voluntary Controlled schools. These schools are owned by Birmingham City Council as the local authority. Other state schools in Birmingham are either Voluntary Aided or Foundation schools. These schools are owned by their founding organisation (usually a religious or charitable foundation). For more detailed information about types of schools visit the DirectGov web site. For details of the schools in your area go to Schools Directory in the council's learning web, Birmingham Grid for Learning.